92-year-old Chick-fil-A worker shares God’s encouragement
Gilbert Martin is 92, works five days a week and has no plans to retire.
Known to customers as “Mr. Gil,” Martin has spent the past six years as a dining room host at a Chick-fil-A in Wilmington. He wipes tables and keeps the floor clean, but that is not how he describes the most important part of his job.
“I make sure the tables are clean, the floor is clean,” Martin told WECT-TV. “But the main thing is I take care of people out here first.”
Customers at the Oleander Drive restaurant have come to expect his friendly welcome. They also notice when he is gone.
Mike Perdue, the restaurant’s owner and operator, recalled the concern when Martin recently missed a couple of days because of a cold.
“People were so concerned, it was crazy,” Perdue said. “‘Where’s Mr. Gil? Is he OK?’”
Martin’s working life began long before Chick-fil-A. He spent decades in the natural gas industry and later worked for more than 12 years as a greeter at Sam’s Club. When that position was eliminated, he gave retirement a try.
Two months were enough.
“I got bored and put in an application,” Martin said.
Chick-fil-A hired him almost immediately. These days, he works Monday through Friday, greeting customers and making sure the dining room is ready for them. He does not consider it a burden.
“If you enjoy what you’re doing, it’s not work, and I look forward to coming in,” he said. “It’s crazy, isn’t it?”
Some conversations go beyond a friendly greeting. Martin said customers sometimes come through the doors after leaving a doctor’s office with difficult news. He tries to listen and offer a little encouragement. His Christian faith, he said, is behind that desire to help.
“I get a lot of people that are coming in, just been to the doctor and got bad news,” Martin said. “I’m able to be an encourager; the Lord gave me that.”
And at 92, he is not looking for an exit.
“I don’t know what 92 is supposed to feel like,” Martin said, “but I feel great.”
–Alan Goforth | Metro Voice
